Numina
by Smarty Cat
Summary: [On Hiatus] Relena receives a mysterious call and disappears. Two years later Duo and Heero are sent on a mission that will change their lives forever.
1. Prologue Questions in the Moonlight

This is my very first fanfic EVER. Because of that I do not want you to be gentle in your reviews. I want the complete brutal truth. All comments, criticism, and praise will be greatly appreciated and used to improve my writing.

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Disclaimer: Gundam Wing is not mine. Any characters you recognize are not mine. Keiichi, however, is mine, although I haven't decided if I want him yet.

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Spoilers: Some references to_ Episode Zero _and _Blind Target _in addition to all episodes of the television series and the OAV/movie.

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Summary: A tale of life, love in all its forms, and the spirits that influence human destiny.

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Pairings: Rx1, 2xH, 4x3, C+4, Cx5, 9x6, anything else I decide to throw in there.

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Thanks: **_Iris Anthe_**, my wonderful beta and an extremely talented writer; and all the wonderful people of the **_Heero and Relena Mailing List_**, for encouraging me to write this

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Numina

by

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Smarty Cat

smartycat9383@yahoo.com

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Prologue -- _Questions in the Moonlight_

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~The important thing is this: To be able at any moment to sacrifice what we are for what we could become.--Charles du Bois~

~Look not mournfully into the past, it comes not back again. Wisely improve the present, it is thine. Go forth to meet the shadowy future without fear and with a [wo]manly heart.--Henry Wadsworth Longfellow ~

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A.C. 198

It was a beautiful night in the former Sank kingdom. The glittering arch of the Milky Way stretched across the dark velvet sky near a triumphantly brilliant Orion. A luminous full moon bathed all it touched, turning the serene sea into a never-ending expanse of molten silver. The sweet smell of flowers and the refreshing salt tang of the sea combined to make a heady brew that sent blood singing through restless veins. In short, it was the kind of glorious star-filled summer night where magic reigned free that just begged for a barefoot run in a rose garden. The golden-haired girl hunched over a mahogany desk had quite an expansive garden and was even wearing an appropriately romantic white silk nightgown.

But there would be no wild moonlit run for Relena Peacecraft Darlian tonight. There was too much paperwork left to do. Too many press release forms that required suitably heartwarming stories. Too many treaties and declarations that required the young politician's aid. Documents that must be read thoroughly because her staff had never taken the time to preview them or help her with tough decisions.

After all, she was the former Queen Relena and the current Vice-Foreign Minister. They could not hope to match her brilliance and diplomatic skills. What use could experienced political advisors and analyzers be to someone of her fame and stature? She had risen to power without their help. She was perfectly capable of staying in power without their help. Everyday she made life-changing decisions that affected both the earth and the colonies. She was brilliant, a genius and a prodigy. She was also eighteen years old.

This was what her life had become. Days were spent talking politics with superior old men. Nights were an endless mountain of paper that had not been finished during the day. Brief naps en route to the next meeting were her sole source of sleep. She was constantly surrounded by people: politicians, aides, bodyguards, and the press, yet her only companions were Peygan, a small brown teddy bear, and dreams that faded a little more each day.

Relena sighed, shifting her longing gaze to the French doors once again. It was not that she did not like her job. She loved helping people resolve their differences, but lately she had been getting less personal interaction with the people she was meant to help. Anyone could sign a paper opening a shelter for the homeless, but Relena wanted to talk to the men on park benches, sing with musicians on street corners, admire a bag lady's treasures, and play with grubby children.

But she supposed all she was good for was scrawling her signature on the appropriate line. She would never graduate from school, never spend time goofing off with people her own age, never walk through a city alone, never discover exactly what her full capabilities might be. Right now, she was not even allowed to pick out her own clothes!

She fingered the cool white silk of her nightgown. It was extremely impractical. The hem dragged the floor for several inches. She had to either pick the front of the gown completely off the floor or shuffle her feet carefully to even walk. The smooth silk material made reclining on her mostly unused bed impossible. She always slid off. Add to that a top that was tight, low-cut, and all but see through, and one could understand why Relena hated it with such passion. However the gown was certainly beautiful, and the image consultant she had not hired insisted that only such a garment was appropriate for the royal Dove of Peace. Relena realized she was lucky that the dress had not come with a set of matching wings.

Both the paperwork and the dress hindered a midnight run. Relena also doubted she could convince the stubborn guards on the other side of the French doors to let her out. Persuasive speeches had never had any effect on her overprotective bodyguards, and despite giving up on idealistic pacifism, she was not prepared to resort to physical violence to have her way. There was a depressing lack of baseball bats in her quarters.

In a daring move, the Vice-Foreign Minister decided to exercise her rights as a teenager and forget that the paper Mt. Everest on her desktop existed. The dress was a hopeless cause. Her dresser and closet were filled with hundreds of similar garments, and she could not go around naked. If she could not play in the moonlight or slash all her clothes, what could she do?

Relena's eye fell on a group of framed pictures on the night table near her teddy bear. Oh yes, she could reminisce. Let's see. The newest and largest was one of her brother and Miss Noin, now Mrs. Merquise, smiling down at their newborn son. Her brother had insisted that he be called Zechs Merquise yet had interestingly given his son the name Zachery Peacecraft. Her nephew would be a year old now, and Relena had never met him. She was too busy; they were too busy. While she had never been close with her brother, she and Noin (Relena just could not break the habit of calling her that. For that matter, neither could Zechs.) had drifted apart. Relena had not even known of her sister-in-law's pregnancy until she received the announcement of Zachery's birth.

Pushing aside those troubling thoughts, she stared at the second picture. It was a rare group shot of the five Gundam pilots. She smiled gently at the memories: quiet, gentle, strong Trowa with his special kindness for women; Wufei, nearly Trowa's opposite, outspoken and insecure; Duo, the boisterous, often sarcastic, clown of the group who could never completely hide the shadows in his eyes; Quatre, her sweet friend who tried so hard to help her but was weighed down by his own responsibilities and obligations; and finally...Heero.

Relena smiled ruefully as her hand caressed the glass over his face. She would never understand Heero. He was such an enigma, promising to kill her and then protecting her time and time again, even fighting on her behalf. He was so calm and so cold. Relena never thought he would completely return her affection; she had accepted the inevitable. Oh sure, there would be moments when his eyes would soften just the slightest bit and he would say something kind. But Relena knew that those moments would be the extent of any remotely romantic gestures on his part. Then Heero had to ruin everything by kissing her. It was just the briefest, barest brushing of lips, but it was enough to make all of her walls and defenses crumble. It made her hope. Then he left. Vanished. Disappeared. Walked off into the starscape with his wonderfully tight jeans clinging to every inch of his firm, delectable--

"Damn it!" Relena shook her head violently, trying to clear the images from her mind, but the damage had been done. "Stop it Relena! He left you! Left you...although he does have a tendency to appear out of nowhere when I'm in danger...No, he always leaves me! He never even stays to ask how I've been! He's confusing as hell!"

She gave a snarl worthy of an irate wolverine and stormed away from the pictures. And promptly tripped and fell flat on her face courtesy of the nightgown from hell. At that moment her vid-phone let out a cheerful rendition of "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star." Whoever it was better have an important reason for calling at two in the morning. That she was fighting with her clothes on the floor and not asleep was irrelevant.

Relena angrily grabbed a pair of scissors and hopped towards the happily singing vid-phone while savagely cutting three feet of material from her gown. She punched the "Answer" button, pushed wild strands of hair off her face, and belatedly crossed her arms protectively over her chest while glaring at the grinning man that appeared on her screen.

"Good evening, Miss Relena. You look particularly lovely tonight."

Her eyes narrowed at the way he said "lovely," but she forced her voice to remain polite and detached. "Thank you. May I know your name and reason for calling my private number at such an hour?" She left unspoken the question how he got her private number.

"Oh, is it very late where you are? Please forgive me. I always forget about the time differences. My name is Keiichi Inaba. I was an associate of Doctor J. Would you happen to know the location of Heero Yuy?"

Relena's mouth fell open, and her fists clenched tighter. How dare this lecherous stranger rub salt in her wounds! "No, I don't know where Heero is. If someone who worked with Doctor J can't find him when he doesn't want to be found what makes you think I can? The war is over, and Doctor J is dead. You don't need Heero anymore," she snapped and terminated the connection.

She had only made it two steps when the screen behind her flashed back on. Relena froze in shock before slowly turning to stare in disbelief at the figure on her vid-screen.

Keiichi clucked chidingly, "You know I never expected you to be so rude. You could have been politer about denying his whereabouts. Your public image is very misleading." He smiled the slow, confident smile of a predator. "I never really expected you to know. I have some footage that I believe will be of great interest to you. Would you care to watch it?"

Without waiting for a reply, he sent the images scrolling across Relena's screen. She recoiled as though she had been struck a physical blow. What she saw in those few seconds could not be real. It was impossible. But she had the sinking feeling in her gut that somehow it was possible, and if those images were real her life would never be the same again.

"Now do you understand why I need your help? I can't do this by myself." Keiichi's voice could have been almost pleading if he did not sound so smug.

Relena stared ahead sightlessly. Her face was ashen, and she could not stop her body's trembling. Her mouth tried to form words several times but failed. Why couldn't she talk? Finally she turned desperate eyes on Keiichi and managed to force three words from her strangely dry throat, "Where are you?"


	2. Chapter 1 Behind the Mask

Heads up Duo Lovers! This one is for you!

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Disclaimer: This is a fanfiction site. You can draw your own conclusions.

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Spoilers: Some references to Episode Zero and Blind Target in addition to all episodes and the OAV/movie.

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Summary: A tale of life, love in all its forms, and the spirits that influence human destiny.

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Pairings: Rx1, 2xH, 4x3, C+4, Cx5, 9x6, anything else I decide to throw in there

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Thanks: **_Iris Anthe_**, my wonderful beta and an extremely talented writer, and **_Sabacat_**, author of the best 2xH lemons on the net, for welcoming the poor little newbie to the **_DuoxHilde Mailing List _**with open arms

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Thanks for the Reviews: **_miaka-oneechan_**, try to be a bit less violent please; **_Moonkitty_**; **_Amanda Dale_**, but cliffhangers make things interesting; **_kmf-chan_**, see! kmf likes cliffhangers; **_Nightheart_**, I'm glad you think I did Relena justice; **_liz_** aka **_mama-sama_**; **_Jess_**, you're making me blush; **_MEL_**; **_estrange_**, Hilde will arrive eventually. Don't worry; **_Bunny_chan_**; **_FierySable_**; **_Silver Wing_**; **_Tomorrow_**, don't you worry either. Heero and Relena will have their moments. It'll just be awhile; **_Christine_**; **_the Black Rose_**, thanks so much for the writing tips. I'll definitely look into that when I do revisions; **_LS_**, I adore sarcasm. Everyone will probably use it; **_anidee_**; **_Julie Bolt_**, **_Crystaltear_**, **_Beck_**, **_Brenda_**, **_Aki_**, **_Peygan_**, **_Hilde_**, **_Li-chan_**, **_mya_**, **_War Dove_**, **_Penybright_**, **_Cass_**, **_Kitty Hilde_**, **_Mistress Yuy_**, just be patient, and everything will be made clear in time; **_Phi-chama_**, I can't express how happy your very indepth response made me. I actually squealed in the middle of my Computer Applications class!

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Numina

by

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Smarty Cat

smartycat9383@yahoo.com

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Chapter 1 -- _Behind the Mask_

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Warning: The following is written from Duo's point of view. Partly to establish his character and partly because I want to keep everyone in suspense for a while. I follow the theory that the constantly cheerful, happy-go-lucky Duo we so often see in fan fiction is not the real Duo. Some of you may find the following slightly disturbing. You have been warned.

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A.C. 200

Footsteps echoed hollowly through the maze of concrete and steel that was Preventer Headquarters. Several agents standing about on their lunch break glanced up with idle curiosity at the young man entering through the automatic sliding doors. He was tall, slightly over six feet, slender but muscled, and moved with a brisk, playful stride. His most noticeable feature, however, was the long chestnut braid swinging behind him like the tail of an agitated cat. The provocative movement of this fascinating object drew admiring female eyes to certain other parts of his anatomy as he bent slightly to announce his appointment to the woman sitting at the reception desk. The young man was quite aware of their scrutiny and threw a cheerful grin and saucy wink over his shoulder at the group of drooling females as he left down an interior hallway.

Once he was safely around a corner, Duo Maxwell's steps slowed, and his shoulders slumped. This was the last place he wanted to be. He was not a Preventer. Since the Eve War, he had avoided all lines of violent work. He was perfectly content working as a scrap metal dealer and mechanic with Hilde. But Une just had to request a personal favor. Why was he even here? It was not like he owed her or anything.

Duo sighed. He knew it was his duty to answer when he was called. He knew it during the attacks on his fellow Gundam pilots and Relena Peacecraft by the remnants of White Fang, and he knew it during the war against Mariemaia. He owed his protection to the people whose lives he had destroyed. It was his duty to maintain the peace he had fought so hard to gain. If Lady Une was actually requesting his help, it must be pretty important.

Abruptly, Duo's thoughts turned to Hilde. She was always so sad when he left. She worried about him too much. But he supposed he had given her plenty of reasons to worry. Duo was always surprised that she had put up with him for the last five years. She had stayed beside him through the horrors of war and terrorism. When the nightmares came, she would hold him, rocking his body gently back and forth and singing softly in German. He never understood the words, and Hilde was hardly the world's greatest musical talent, but Duo had never heard anything more beautiful than those soft foreign lullabies.

The only other time he could remember feeling so safe and loved was in Sister Helen's arms. And he remembered her fate all too well. Duo knew he had made a mistake with Hilde. He had let himself become vulnerable and lost control of his emotions. And she stayed. The stupid little idiot always stayed, even through his intense mood swings. Why did she stay? Why did she care about a murderer?

She was as glorious as Persephone in springtime and did not belong near his darkness. He was slowly tainting her, and one day he would destroy her completely. The thought of killing Hilde, her body or her spirit, sickened Duo. Every shred of goodness left in him screamed for his departure from her life, but he knew that if he left her he would hurt her. He was trapped between his own whirlpool descent into lonely madness and the sharp rocks of bitter disappointment that he knew Hilde would eventually feel if she refused to leave him.

The soft tapping of approaching footsteps brought Duo out of his melancholy reflections. He swiftly pasted a sunny smile on his face and bounded forward to meet the approaching person. A brief nod and exchange of pleasantries later, his smile faded. Duo sighed and raked a calloused hand through his bangs.

The young man froze abruptly, staring at his upraised hand. It was a large, strong hand accustomed to hard work--a hand that had killed many people. Yet although it was covered with tiny scars, there was not a speck of blood visible on the tanned skin. Duo knew it should be covered in blood, bright crimson blood that flowed endlessly over skin stiffened by the dark dried blood that had come before. Slippery wet heat and bitter metallic smell that would remain with him for eternity.

Gradually, Duo became aware of a pretty young secretary staring curiously at the tall white-faced, long-haired man standing in the hallway with wild eyes fixated on his perfectly normal looking hand. He blinked and stared back into her puzzled face. His own face flushed, and he laughed bashfully. "Paper cut. A really painful one."

The girl's eyes widened, and her mouth opened and closed several times. Then she nodded with exaggerated seriousness and walked away but not without throwing a skeptical glance over her shoulder.

Duo waited patiently until he could no longer hear her retreating footsteps. Then he savagely slammed his fist into the concrete wall. The pain of scraped and bruised knuckles was refreshing. It brought him back to himself. He shook his head to clear it, mumbling softly, "Watch it, Maxwell. You're slipping real bad, and Hilde ain't here to catch you. Pull yourself together, man."

He shoved his hands into the pockets of his black leather jacket and continued his apparently never-ending journey into the depths of Preventer Headquarters. The halls echoed endlessly with silence. It was a void, mirroring the one in Duo's heart. In a desperate effort to stave off the approaching madness, he began to whistle tunelessly.

Thoughts swirled crazily in his mind, and he laughed bitterly when he realized he had started to whistle a funeral march. He had broken every rule he ever made for himself. Don't let them see you cry. Boys don't cry. And how many times had Hilde brushed tears from his cheeks in the darkness? Never tell a lie. He lied to himself every day and had no qualms about stretching the truth where others were concerned. Don't enjoy the killing. But there were times when he had. Realizing he was the strongest on the battlefield. The rush of adrenaline and the sense of power he felt when those who opposed him fell under his beam scythe were like drugs. Powerful, overwhelming, intoxicating, addicting.

"That's what's wrong with me. The God of Death is suffering from withdrawal 'cause he hasn't killed anyone in years. God, I'm a monster! I hate myself! I don't deserve to live! Hilde would be better off if I just died!" His right hand slid out of his pocket, a small handgun clasped in his fingers. Duo raised the barrel to the underside of his chin and released the safety. He closed blue-violet eyes as the cool metal pressed into sensitive skin. A slight shiver ran through his body as his finger tightened imperceptibly on the trigger. Suddenly he jerked his finger back towards his palm.

The only sound to be heard was weak, gasping breathing. Duo Maxwell opened his eyes and quietly slipped the gun back into his pocket. Then he started to laugh softly and mockingly. "Too bad I took all the bullets out earlier. I guess this is just one more thing I'll end up confessing to Hilde when I get home."

Duo knew his past was so covered in blood that there was no hope for atonement of his sins. If he had believed in God, he would have been concerned for his soul, but Duo only believed in Death. So many times he had tried to welcome its embrace. And so many times that embraced had been denied him. It would continue to be so. Duo Maxwell was Death, and Death cannot die.

He glanced at his watch. It was nearly time for his meeting with Une. It surely would not do to keep the Lady waiting. The sounds of people talking filtered through the hallway to Duo's ears. The lunch break for this section was now over. He would be encountering people at far more frequent intervals now. All depressing thoughts were banished to the far corners of his mind. It was time to socialize.

The former Gundam pilot smoothed his gleaming hair and brushed imaginary dirt off his clothes. He stood on tiptoe and twisted slightly to check his appearance. Tall, dark, and handsome? Check. Dangerously sexy black clothes? Check. Now for the attitude. Typical cocky posture? Check. Rakish smile? Check. Magnetic personality? Check. All systems are go.

Duo strode lightly yet determinedly down the hall. He smoothly mixed with the returning group. Shamelessly flirting with the women and strategically sprinkling jokes through his conversation, he passed through the sea of young Preventers. They were quite a cheerful, friendly group. He would have to report them to Une. They must have been new recruits. None of them questioned the presence of a strange man in civilian clothes without any visible identification wandering through the restricted inner recesses of Preventer Headquarters. They needed much better training and discipline. Honestly, any terrorist could just walk right in and they would never know!

Smoothly maneuvering through the crowd of enthralled young people, he headed inexorably for Une's office. He stopped for no one. Until a stern faced Sally Po with worried eyes and a forced smile appeared in front of him. She lifted one slender eyebrow expectantly as she put her hands on her hips and cocked her head to the side.

Duo sighed and put both hands behind his head. "So can I assume you're not taking me to your leader just yet?"

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"We Wear the Mask"

by Paul Laurence Dunbar

We wear the mask that grins and lies,

It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes,--

This debt we pay to human guile;

With torn and bleeding hearts we smile,

And mouth with myriad subtleties.

Why should the world be over-wise,

In counting all our tears and sighs?

Nay, let them only see us, while

We wear the mask.

We smile, but, O great Christ, our cries

To thee from tortured souls arise.

We sing, but oh the clay is vile

Beneath our feet, and long the mile;

But let the world dream other-wise,

We wear the mask!


	3. Chapter 2 Heart to Heart

Once again, this is my very first fanfic. All comments, criticism, and praise will be greatly appreciated. I love private emails, so if you feel the need...

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Disclaimer: This is a fanfiction site. You can draw your own conclusions.

****

Spoilers: Some references to Episode Zero and Blind Target in addition to all episodes and the OAV/movie.

****

Summary: A tale of life, love in all its forms, and the spirits that influence human destiny.

****

Pairings: Rx1, 2xH, 4x3, C+4, Cx5, 9x6, anything else I decide to throw in there

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Thanks: **_Iris Anthe, _**my wonderful beta and an extremely talented writer and all the awesome people on the **_Heero and Relena _**and the **_Duo x Hilde MLs_**.

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Thanks for the Reviews: **_kmf_**, Hilde's coming eventually; **_Aki_**, but fan torturing is such an enjoyable hobby! ^_^ ; **_miaka mouse_**, I can't wait to see what I do with the rest of the characters either; **_Julie-chan_**; **_Ran Gan Iiu_**; **_Sabacat_**, puuurrrrr; **_mama-sama_**; **_Shadow@ngel_**, there's something special behind that lullaby, just wait; **_Jess_**, no Latin class, but you're sure going to make me think I'm as powerful as them; **_Caliko_**; **_Jenn_**, you're making me blush now. I'm glad you think Duo's thoughts are realistic; **_estrange_**; **_The_** **_Vampire Lestat_**; **_Christine_**; **_anidee_**; **_Space_VixenX_**, Langston Hughes is definitely an incredible poet; **_Kitty Hilde_**, confusing is good right now. It means I'm doing my job; **_Aisha_**; **_Yuysis13_**; **_QS M_**; **_centementelly_so_**, I don't think it's ever been done the way I have plans for it; **_Meio-chan_**

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Numina

by

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Smarty Cat

smartycat9383@yahoo.com

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Chapter 2 -- _Heart to Heart_

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Duo glanced around curiously as he entered Sally's office. It was large enough to contain a desk, three padded chairs, and a filing cabinet. The walls were a surprisingly cheerful sunflower with several hand-painted silk screens scattered across them. A graceful Ming vase on the filing cabinet held a bunch of brightly colored wildflowers. The room was almost cozy, and it was a refreshing change from the dreary gray halls outside.

"You shouldn't toy with the cadets like that, Duo!" Sally scowled at the braided man as he collapsed comfortably into a chair and propped his feet up on her desk.

One chestnut eyebrow quirked as he slanted an amused gaze up at her from the corners of his eyes. Voice dripping with sarcasm, he drawled, "And Death walked freely among the people, taking equally of them." His voice hardened abruptly. "They need better training, Sally. Any idiot could waltz right in and rob you blind."

Sally's scowl did not waver. "You did put everything back, didn't you, Duo?"

Duo kicked his feet off the desk and sat up straight to stare directly in her questioning blue-gray eyes. "Of course I did! Well...except for this lighter."

"DUO!"

"What? It's got this great medieval griffin painted on it, and you know it's perfect for me. Besides, if the guy can't watch his stuff better than that, he doesn't deserve to have it."

"Not everyone has had to be constantly alert for street thieves like you have!"

"Well maybe they should!" Duo exploded, hurt and anger mingling in his voice.

Sally stared at the young man watching her with glittering eyes. For a moment, he had actually dropped the facade he used to fool the world. There was so much pain in him. Her eyes softened helplessly, but he was still in the wrong. "Duo..."

He slid the lighter across her desk. His words were clipped when he spoke again, "Here. It belongs to Preventer Rampant."

Sally silently accepted the lighter and shifted her feet nervously. It felt wrong to look at Duo when he was vulnerable, but she could not just ignore him and stare at the wall. Thankfully, Duo broke the uneasy silence himself. "So why exactly am I here and not discussing a favor with your esteemed leader?"

"Preventer Earth is currently in a very important meeting with a delegate from North America."

"Oh, I see. Where's Wufei?"

"I don't know. I haven't seen him since yesterday, but I think he's preparing for a mission."

Duo clicked his tongue lightly. "And you don't get to go with him this time? Poor Sally. Not too bored I hope? It certainly looks like you've been busy." He reached for a stack of folders on her desk, calmly grabbing the largest one, almost without looking. Strong fingers lightly traced the name written in bold black marker. He glanced over at Sally from beneath his bangs and asked with curious skepticism, "Do you really think you're going to find her? It's been two years."

Sally stared at the bent chestnut head and stated firmly, "Of course we expect to find her. We know she's alive. She has been sending regular messages to her mother and butler."

Duo snorted, "Yeah, and they're never from the same place, are they? She's been dodging the best of the Preventer forces for two years. You lost any real hope you had of finding her long ago. You had a better chance back when every idiot and fortune seeker in the earth and the colonies was out looking for her."

"It's because it's been two years that we're going to find her. Eventually she'll get careless and slip up. I don't suppose you have any brilliant ideas for finding her?"

Duo smirked and resumed his earlier sprawling position, idly fanning himself with Relena's file. "Sally, have you ever heard of James Bond? Movie star spy that's been around for hundreds of years? 'Cause I bet you that's who Peygan was in his younger days. You should always ask the butler. Even if they don't commit the murder, they still know everything that goes on."

"We did question Peygan. We found no evidence that he was involved in Relena's disappearance."

"Well, duh. He ain't stupid, and if Ojousan wants to stay hidden, he ain't gonna betray her."

Sally's brow furrowed curiously. "Why do you call her 'Ojousan'? Relena's not Japanese."

Duo smiled, his expression similar to a satisfied cat staring down a cornered mouse. He stated very clearly, "Ojousan may not be Japanese, but she speaks the language. The Darlian Estate is in what used to be Japan. South JAP point ring a bell? Honestly Sally, you were there! We both met Relena in Japan. Did you forget?"

Sally blushed scarlet. "I suppose I did forget. So many things happened during the war. And Relena was so different back then. It's almost like knowing two different people. I guess it just slipped my mind that they're the same person."

A chestnut brow arched over a sparkling blue-violet eye with exaggerated disbelief. "You forgot where you met the Queen of the World?" His face twisted with barely contained mirth.

Sally shot back, "And I suppose you remember everything from the war, Mr. Maxwell?"

Duo's cheerful mask vanished. Sally found herself staring at a perfectly, carefully expressionless face surrounding eyes that suddenly seemed to glow pure amethyst. An emotionless voice slowly penetrated the stunned fog surrounding her brain. "Yes, I do remember everything that happened."

Then, as abruptly as it had appeared, the dark specter of Death vanished, leaving only an uncomfortable looking young man fidgeting in a chair. Duo coughed uneasily then gestured to the thick folder one again. "So, care to enlighten me about the conditions of Ojousan's disappearance while we wait for Une to make time in her busy schedule to see me?"

"Duo, you know that's classified."

He grinned at her chiding tone. "Yeah, but I'm not a Preventer. And I can't use my genius to help you if I don't know the circumstances."

"Duo--"

"Aw, Sally, come on! I'm bored. You could at least entertain me. It's not like I have anyone to spill it to," Duo cut her off with a whine as he widened his eyes pleadingly.

Sally stared at the limpid, shimmering pools of color in his innocently earnest face. Her lips twitched faintly, and she sighed. "All right."

Duo perked up, snagging the folder and pulling it across the desk. Sally settled comfortably in the chair beside him and nonchalantly snatched the folder from his hands. Ignoring his disgruntled glare, she flipped idly through the sheaf of papers before flinging the folder across her desk into an open file cabinet drawer.

Duo stared at the filing cabinet. He blinked. He turned to regard a serenely smiling Sally. He blinked again. "What did you do that for?"

"You should know I don't need it."

"Well, yeah, but I wanted to see it."

"I told you. It's classified. You can't look at it."

Sudden realization hit Duo. Just because he could not see it did not mean his curiosity would go unsatisfied. He laughed softly and motioned for Sally to begin.

"At approximately 2:00 A.M. on the morning of July 16, A.C. 198, all the long-range communications systems at the Sank Palace began jamming. It lasted until 2:40 when all systems resumed functioning normally."

Duo frowned thoughtfully. "That's suspicious all right, but shouldn't there still be records of all conversations during that time frame on the individual vid-phones?"

"Of course. All units except Relena's were unused in that period or contained records of ordinary and perfectly legitimate discussions. Relena's, however, appeared to have suffered malfunctions in the wiring and circuitry."

"It blew up?"

"In a manner of speaking. All the data it contained was lost. We couldn't recover any information from the melted mass of microchips."

Duo smiled ruefully. "So whoever's involved has a talented hacker and technical engineer at their disposal." Duo blinked at his own comment. Then he grinned. "Have you asked Heero about it?"

"We were unable to locate Heero Yuy but have no reason to believe he was involved in Relena's disappearance."

"She left willingly, didn't she?" Duo exclaimed agitatedly.

Sally fiddled with the end of a braid as she replied, "Yes. Later that morning, Relena canceled all her appointments, citing stress-related illness. Her image consultant said that she looked absolutely horrible, like she hadn't slept at all. She appeared nervous and unhappy. That's not the way a young woman usually looks before running off to meet her crush."

"I wouldn't know," said Duo pointedly. "I still think you should ask Heero though. He knows everything where that girl is concerned."

"We would if we could find him. Heero is very elusive."

Duo waved a hand scornfully. "Yeah, yeah. Excuses, excuses. I've never had any trouble finding him. Neither has Peygan. I'm telling you, ask the butler. So anyways, tell me about 007."

A confused look flitted across Sally's face before her features settled into annoyed patience. "Peygan," she carefully stressed his name, "was the last person to see Relena. She claimed to want to go shopping without 'those lurking bodyguards' to relax. He drove her into town where she withdrew a large sum of money from her account. At her request, she was dropped off alone at a shopping mall near a large shuttle port."

"And then she disappeared."

"Yes."

"But she regularly sends notes to her mom and butler telling them she's fine from all over the place."

"Yes."

"And you guys still haven't managed to trace her."

"Yes," Sally gritted through clenched teeth.

Duo sighed in exasperation, threw his hands in the air, and dramatically raised his eyes to the fluorescent ceiling lights. "You guys are incompetent. If you'd just torture the old man, you'd know everything."

"We're not going to 'torture' Peygan!" Sally snapped.

"Oh, that's right. I forgot he's a defenseless old fogey. Peygan knows where she is, Sally. I'll bet on it. If you really want to find Relena, ask him!"

"Let's just drop this, okay. You're not helping. End of discussion, Duo."

The braided man stared at her with affronted pride. "Fine!" he huffed.

The two sat in an uncomfortable, stony silence for several minutes. Duo ignored Sally while she closely watched the brooding young man from underneath lowered eyelashes. Then the shrill beep of Sally's phone abruptly cut through their reverie.

Duo pretended not to watch as Sally answered it. Her eyes widened slightly before glancing at Duo, and she moved to the farthest corner of the room. She was talking too low for Duo to understand her, and she had wisely turned away from him, making it impossible to read her lips. After a few moments' conversation, she returned the phone to her waist clip and faced Duo. 

Once again her face wore that strained, tight-lipped smile. "That was Lady Une. Unfortunately, some things have come up, and she will not be able to brief you on your mission. However, your assigned partner does know all of the specifics and is waiting for you in Hanger B Shuttle 21."

Duo let out a weary sigh and climbed slowly to his feet. "I guess I better get going then. Don't worry, I can find the way."

Sally stopped him with a hand on his arm. She gazed up into his shadowy eyes and hesitantly asked, "Have you been happy, Duo?"

His lips twisted into a sad, mocking smile. "I am surviving in a world with no place for me." He pulled away from her gently restraining hand and opened the door.

"Thank you."

He paused, back stiff. The low rumble of his voice carried clearly to Sally's ears. "Why?"

"For being honest."

Duo turned around slowly. His face was solemn as he lifted her hand and pressed something cool and rectangular into her palm. He carefully closed her fingers around the object and met Sally's blue-gray eyes squarely. "Lies can't be told in a griffin's presence."

Sally inhaled sharply as Duo walked out the door. She lunged into the hallway, but he had already vanished. Although the thought of chasing him crossed her mind, Sally quickly banished it. He wanted to be alone. She would respect that.

Her fingers curled tightly around the custom lighter before relaxing. She opened her hand to stare at it. Her eyes traced the regal arch of the griffin's body and admired the dazzling golds and reds of its coat. Sally bit her lip hard as her eyes closed sadly. "Why can't we all find peace?"

***

Duo scowled faintly as he punched his entrance code into the panel on Shuttle 21's door. Sally sure knew how to make a guy feel bad. The metal door opened with a quiet hiss, and Duo stepped inside, only to be met with a frosty glare from the short Asian man in the pilot's seat.

Duo chuckled as he met his partner eye to eye. "I didn't expect you to be my partner! Sally's been looking for you, you know? Someone should probably tell her you're here."

The dark-haired pilot emitted a grunt of acknowledgment before curtly saying, "Get in and shut the door. Sally can wait."

Duo clicked his heels together and snapped his right hand up in a salute. "Yes sir, Captain!" he intoned in a deep voice and moved to take his seat while laughing loudly at his partner's disgusted expression.


	4. Chapter 3 Search and Discover

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Disclaimer: Chances are if I owned them I would have a Japanese name. Sadly my first name is Greek, my middle name is French, and my last name is Irish or English depending on who you ask.

****

Spoilers: Some references to Episode Zero and Blind Target in addition to all episodes and the OAV/movie.

****

Summary: A tale of life, love in all its forms, and the spirits that influence human destiny.

****

Pairings: Rx1, 2xH, 4x3, C+4, Cx5, 9x6, anything else I decide to throw in there

****

Thanks: **_Iris Anthe_**, my wonderful beta and an extremely talented writer

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Thanks for the Reviews: **_saba_**, put the duct tape down!; **_moonkitty_**; **_Jess_**, **_kmf_**, **_estrange_**, **_Anon=)_**, **_mama-sama_**, I'm glad ya'll agree that Peygan was James Bond in his younger days; **_Amanda Dale_**; **_Brenda_**; **_Aki_**, I would love to huggle Duo ~_^ ; **_Julie Bolt_**, I'm glad you think I did a good job on the dialogue. I was worried that it would sound forced; **_Leeko_**, Duo and everyone else are going to become extremely crazy before I'm through with them; **_Kitty Hilde_**; **_LS_**; **_anidee_**; **_Christine_**; **_CT_**, Trowa and Quatre are going to be in the fic, and I guarantee the reasons behind Relena's disappearance are something you would never suspect

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Numina

by

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Smarty Cat

smartycat9383@yahoo.com

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Chapter 3 -- _Search and Discover_

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Heero Yuy quietly eyed the tall, braided man in the seat next to him. He frowned internally, although his face remained outwardly impassive. Duo was not looking well. The lines of his face stood out prominently, and his color was paler than normal. There were also dark circles under his strangely glittering eyes.

Duo turned and smiled faintly when he saw Heero's scrutiny. "I haven't been sleeping too well, but you look great. Life been good to you Heero?"

The Japanese man shrugged. "I've completed school."

"That's nice. I always meant to go back, but I've just never gotten around to it. Probably won't now, but I'm sure you were top of your class. So, what do you do for a living? I still work with Hilde."

"I'm a freelance computer specialist."

"No scheduled work hours...must be nice. But I bet you still get up at an inhumanly early hour!" Duo joked accusingly.

Heero's lips twitched slightly as he concentrated on steering the shuttle. Carefully not looking at his companion, he asked, "When do you plan on asking about the mission?"

There was a long pause before Duo let out a tired sigh. "I really don't want to be here. I just want to go back to L2 and be a mechanic with Hilde for the rest of my life. I want to be left alone, but I never will be, so what's the damn mission?"

"We are to intercept and destroy a ship headed for the former Sank Kingdom. According to the Preventer's intelligence reports, the vessel contains a new, highly powerful destructive weapon."

"Just peachy. But ain't the destructive weapon part kinda redundant, Heero? Anyway, who built this new weapon? Shouldn't we do something about them?"

"Intelligence says the weapon is a remnant of Operation Meteor."

"And the mad scientists are dead, but we still gotta do something about the people transporting it."

"They are to be taken into custody. If they resist we are authorized to use whatever force is necessary."

"Great," came the bitter response.

Heero glanced at the man next to him, and his hard eyes softened slightly. Duo had his head propped on one arm as he gazed blankly out the window. A quick look at Duo's reflection revealed a drawn, pensive face and haunted eyes. Heero understood the unspoken desire for silence and solitude and quickly returned his complete attention to piloting the shuttle.

They were over the open ocean now. It would still be a few hours until they reached the target. Heero's fingers twitched slightly on the controls. His strange eagerness at having a mission to complete surprised him. Although every fiber of his being screamed for him to accelerate and destroy the target now, he had to remain patient. His orders were not to confront the target until after dusk when he would have a sight advantage.

It was sunset now. A vibrant, fiery sunset painted the sky with reds, oranges, and yellows. A spectacular vision of a blazing sun slowly being extinguished by cooling blue waters loomed ahead in front of the two young men, yet for the most part, they ignored its existence. To Heero, steering the shuttle nearly directly into it, the sunset was an impediment to the mission. Duo, submerged in dark visions, saw only blood and fire, an eternal Hell stretched out across the sky before him.

Time passed slowly for the two Gundam pilots as both of them remained engrossed in their own thoughts. Duo finally broke the silence with a question Heero was expecting but unprepared to answer. "So, how's the girl?"

Heero briefly wondered if Duo could read minds. "What girl?"

"It's rude to answer a question with a question, Heero. You know what girl. The important one. Ojousan. Relena."

"I haven't seen Relena in more than two years."

"What a coincidence! No one else has either. Do you really not know where she is?"

Heero's eyes flicked over to Duo's face. It had switched from sarcasm to an expression of genuine curiosity and concern. Heero was surprised to find that he was feeling slightly uncomfortable as he curtly shook his head. Was blood rushing to his cheeks?

"You don't have any idea?"

"Why would I?" Heero snapped, his voice sharper than he had intended.

Duo's eyes narrowed speculatively as he devoted his full attention to the tense man staring straight ahead. "You know, you're lucky the sun has set or you'd be blind right about now." His voice was teasing, but then it dropped into slightly smug compassion. "It bugs you, doesn't it? I'd be completely freaked if Hilde just disappeared. Hell, I'm going crazy missing her right now!"

Heero did not bother to answer Duo. Anything he said would be taken the wrong way and used to annoy him. But he did feel a strange pang when he thought about the missing girl. Heero's brow furrowed as his thoughts remained locked on Relena. He had searched for her, of course, but she had covered her tracks quite effectively. Too effectively. Relena was impulsive and more than a little reckless, but disregarding her responsibilities and leaving all her duties behind was not like her. Heero's scowl deepened as he wondered when exactly he had learned what was and what was not like Relena.

Heero's eyes once again flicked to the right. They were met with the horrifying sight of a smugly grinning Shinigami. It was enough to cause a normal man to die of fright. Luckily Heero was not a normal man. He merely suddenly had a very bad feeling about where this conversation was going to lead.

Duo's grin widened even more as he saw how uncomfortable the other pilot was becoming. "Aww, you miss her, don't you? That's so sweet and so...so normal! Heero, Heero, Heero, you've become soft!"

The Asian man slanted a cold glare across the two-foot space between them. Cold Prussian eyes clearly conveyed a warning message to the taller man. If he did not shut his mouth now that precious braid of his was going to be used as a noose.

Duo reluctantly stopped his teasing, although vague continuous mumbling filled the shuttle for the next ten minutes.

"Denial..."

The knuckles of Heero's hands turned increasingly white as the low hum of Duo's prattle drifted to his ears.

"Bad attitude..."

Strong fingers tightened around the shuttle controls with a lethal embrace.

"Repressed hormones..."

Heero wistfully imagined them to be the other pilot's neck. Duo was enjoying tormenting him far too much.

"Needs to get--" Duo shot up in his seat abruptly. He pointed ahead of them at a rapidly enlarging dot on the ocean. "Is that the ship?"

Heero glanced at the dial that showed their locational coordinates with something that might be called relief. "Yes." He then flipped a switch and began speaking to the air. "Target has been sighted. Proceeding with acquisition of the target."

Duo stared at Heero as he returned the switch to its original position with a bemused expression. "What are you doing?"

"Mission log."

"Ah. That would explain everything. It's comforting to see that some things never change."

Duo once again focused on the ship. Several flickers of movement had appeared in the corner of his eye, and he was now trying to get a better look. One flash resolved itself into the form of a young boy sprinting across the deck. Duo gaped in astonishment as the boy scooped up another child from its hiding place behind a group of crates and shoved it inside the cabin door. Several other small pale faces could be seen peering forth from the darkness.

A woman emerged from a hole in the deck leading to the cargo area. Long unbound platinum hair fell down her back like a cloak. It glowed pure silver in the moonlight as she walked gracefully to a heavy black metal box near the cabin door. She appeared to argue briefly with the boy before he too disappeared into the cabin.

Although the woman had no doubt noticed the circling shuttle moving ever closer, she did not acknowledge it. As she calmly knelt on the deck and opened the box, she never once raised her head to track the shuttle's movements. The thick mane of her hair shifted slightly across her wetsuit-encased body as her hands moved busily inside the box.

Heero's eyes narrowed suspiciously as he watched her. She was intentionally using her body to hide the box's contents from them. He brought the shuttle around for a final time, turned on the spotlight, and hovered several yards from the ship. His eyes never left the efficient movements of the feminine from on the deck as he commanded coldly, "Duo, fire."

The braided pilot jerked violently and stared at his partner in disbelief. "What? Why?"

"The weapons systems are currently under your control. Now fire."

Duo shook his head, a look of rage slowly growing on his face. "No way!" He leapt to his feet, eyes blazing a furious purple. "There are kids on that ship! KIDS! Lots of them, and I am not going to kill a bunch of innocent children just so you don't have to feel guilty about breaking that damn vow!"

"Damn it, Duo! Just fire! Before it's too late!"

"No."

Heero made a sound of disgust before rapidly keying in the command to override the weapons system. Didn't the idiot realize what she was doing?

Duo snarled softly, muscles tensing as he prepared to launch himself at Heero. However, Heero's head jerking up to stare rigidly ahead broke Duo from his rage. There was some strange expression in the Asian man's eyes that made Duo's stomach sink. He slowly turned his head in the same direction as Heero's.

Facing them was a deadly vision of feminine beauty. Her bare feet were planted firmly to the deck as she stood alertly with an extremely large combination laser rifle and rocket launcher balanced on her shoulder. A soft breeze stirred the silvery-blonde strands of her hair.

Duo nervously licked his lips and glanced sidelong at Heero. This was certainly an unexpected development. Talk about resisting. Morbid curiosity finally getting the better of him, Duo asked, "That thing can take us out, can't it?"

Heero nodded briefly. "But that's a known weapon. It's not the new one we were sent to recover."

"Great. She's got more firepower hidden somewhere. Um...why isn't she roasting us?"

"I don't know." Prussian blue eyes narrowed dangerously as a roughened hand slowly inched towards the controller of the shuttle's own laser. He would have to be fast and accurate. And extremely lucky.

Heero pushed aside all thoughts of the children on board. He knew his mission. This woman was an obstacle preventing the completion of his mission. All obstacles must be eliminated.

At the last possible second, the woman raised her head from the sighting scope curiously. Piercing ice blue eyes regarded the silent hovering shuttle, and Heero froze, his finger lightly touching the firing button. His face bore a look of pure shock as his eyes traced the familiar curves of cheek and jaw. A quiet, stunned breath slipped from his lips unconsciously, "Relena..."


	5. Chapter 4 When the Roads Meet

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Disclaimer: Gundam Wing is not mine. Any characters you recognize are not mine. Keiichi (appeared in the prologue, mentioned here) is mine. Since I am borrowing characters from a series I do not own, I do not see any reason why you couldn't use Keiichi in your own fics should you feel the need...although I have no idea why you'd want him.

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Spoilers: Some references to Episode Zero and Blind Target in addition to all episodes and the OAV/movie.

****

Pairings: Rx1, 2xH, 4x3, C+4, Cx5, 9x6, anything else I decide to throw in there

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Numina

by

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Smarty Cat

smartycat9383@yahoo.com

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Chapter 4 -- _When the Roads Meet_

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Duo blinked before staring incredulously at an apparently dumbstruck Heero. His head swiveled back and forth between his frozen partner and the woman on the ship. Under normal circumstances he would have been thrilled to see such an astonished expression on the always stoic Japanese man. However, having a beautiful woman with a damn impressive gun locked onto his shuttle was not a normal circumstance. And Heero just had to pick that moment to hallucinate!

Duo chose that moment to yell. "What do you mean 'Relena'? That's not Relena! Ojousan doesn't carry heavy weaponry! She doesn't even look like that woman!"

Heero shoved himself away from the controls and stalked towards the exit. His face had regained its customary impassive mask, but some strange glint of emotion glittered in his dark eyes. One faintly trembling hand snaked out to open the door only to be grabbed by Duo.

"What are you doing? You're going to get us killed, and I've already decided not to die tonight!" the braided man hissed, panic edging into his voice as he noticed Heero's trembling.

Heero's eyes narrowed dangerously as he leveled his gun at Duo's forehead. "Then get out of the way."

Duo reluctantly released his grip on the strong brown wrist and stepped aside. Heero put his gun away and walked calmly down the short bare hallway to the ladder leading to the top hatch, Duo following close behind. His face twisted into a grimace, the taller man noted with sarcastic relief that at least Heero had been thoughtful enough to take two guns with him. Heero should be able to handle an army with that much fire power.

***

Elenor Inaba watched the shuttle hovering ahead of her curiously. It appeared to be trying to intimidate her but had yet to make any openly threatening overtures. Of course that could be due to the appearance of her little toy. She shifted the laser rifle on her shoulder imperceptibly. She would have to thank Keiichi for his present later, even if it was ridiculously heavy.

The humming from the shuttle's engines changed abruptly, and it slowly lowered to rest in the water. Elenor stiffened as she saw a familiar symbol etched into the darkened glass of the shuttle's window. The Preventers? What were the Preventers doing here?

The blonde woman sighed and lowered her weapon to the ship's deck, stepping away from it gracefully with her hands in plain sight. She tried her best to ignore the sinking feeling in her stomach, but it persisted. Trouble. She was in trouble, and it was going to jeopardize her very personal mission. She sighed again, but her eyes hardened with determination. Pity trouble didn't realize what it was up against.

A hatch on the top of the shuttle popped open, and an unruly mop of dark hair emerged. Elenor's lips quirked in dark amusement. Well, well, well, wasn't this just typical? Fate must enjoy toying with the lives of humans a great deal.

Ice blue eyes watched calmly as a handsome young man strode briskly across the top of the shuttle and leaped down to her ship. Elenor closed her eyes briefly as she felt the slight vibration from his landing ripple across her bare feet. The sound of his footsteps came closer and then stopped.

Elenor opened her eyes to the familiar sight of golden worker's boots. She slowly raised her head, allowing the platinum strands of her hair to fall away from her face. Ice blue eyes connected openly with a blue intense enough to put the midnight sky to shame. Carefully smothering any wistfulness in her voice, she murmured, "Hello, Heero."

Heero stiffened as the light melody of her voice washed across his senses. If he had needed more proof to convince himself of her true identity, his body's response to her voice gave him everything he needed. Only one woman in the entire universe could make him feel so confused. "Relena," he coldly inclined his head in acknowledgment.

She gave him a strange, smug smile as she watched his throat move as he spoke. "It's Elenor."

Eyebrows arched upward faintly. The blonde woman sighed before clarifying her statement. "My name is Elenor Inaba."

Heero's eyes darkened, and he appeared to be about to speak when Duo's voice rang out across the water. "Hey, can't you just arrest her and get it over with? You don't have time to flirt! There's a barstool back on land waiting for me, you know! And after all this I need a good, stiff drink."

Heero closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and counted to ten very slowly. Must not maim partner. Une would be unhappy. No paycheck, no food. "Duo come here."

'Elenor' cocked her head to one side as a grin threatened to form on her lips. Soft giggles could not be stopped from escaping them as she watched the braided man stalk towards them, muttering no doubt uncomplimentary phrases under his breath. She leaned slightly to the left to peer around Heero and waved at Duo with her fingers.

Duo's eyes focused on the intriguingly moving appendages before moving his gaze to the silvery cascade hanging down her side. One of his few weaknesses, and this strange woman possessed a splendid example of it. His face lit up as he flipped his own remarkable braid over his shoulder. "You have incredible hair! Can I see it?"

Elenor choked as he leaned forward without waiting for permission. Gentle, calloused hands wrapped around a wave of silken moonlight. At her small sound of surprise, curious blue-violet eyes turned to meet her own and abruptly widened. Duo was in such close proximity that he could not help but notice how strangely familiar her face was.

"Ojousan?" he asked in a disbelieving tone as he used his grip on her hair to pull her face closer to his.

"Ojousan," she agreed, smiling. "Elenor."

Duo blinked, a confused look flitting across his expressive face. "Elenor?"

"Yes, Elenor Inaba," she nodded, gently disentangling his fingers from her platinum tresses.

Duo's eyes caught a slight shimmer on one slender finger. He curled his fingers around her left hand, lifting it in the moonlight to better inspect it. A simple golden band twined lovingly around her ring finger. Though obviously not new, the moonlight sparkled brilliantly along the curling knot pattern embossed in the metal.

The braided man gulped as he flicked a glance at Heero. An endless knot. Eternity. A symbol of enduring love. Oh boy. He released her hand carefully and stepped away, putting a safe distance between his own delicate body and that of his partner's. He laughed nervously and stuck one hand behind his head. "That's a...nice...uh...ring, Ojousan."

Elenor stared at the ring on her hand almost as if she were seeing it for the very first time. "Thank you," she said hesitantly. And then so softly that both men had to strain to hear it, "Kei always did like shiny things."

Both Elenor and Duo stiffened as a low growl vibrated in the air around them. It was not so much heard as it was felt in their bones on some instinctual level, but nevertheless it was there and threatening. Elenor frowned slightly and swept her gaze about the deck consideringly before following a line from an apparently petrified Duo to...Heero.

The Japanese man was standing quietly before them. Silvery moonlight bathed the taught lines of his muscular body and highlighted strong fingers curling slowly into fists. His face bore a strangely frozen expression, yet his incredible eyes burned into Elenor's skin, and she forgot to breathe. Heero Yuy had never looked more dangerous. Some small, traitorous part of Elenor's mind also whispered that he was sexy as hell.

While his homicidal partner and that silver-haired ghost from the past were locked in a heated staring contest, Duo was slowly edging away. Discretion was the better part of valor after all, and he had promised Hilde to come home in one piece. He would have been able to escape unnoticed too if a loud, deeply masculine bellow had not erupted from the forgotten cabin.

"Lena, what the hell are you doing out there? Why have we been stopped for so damn long?"

Elenor ripped her gaze away from Heero's to stare at the dark figure looming above the group of children still huddled in the cabin door. She rolled her eyes toward the heavens before putting her head in her hands. "Oh God," she moaned, "Why did he have to wake up now?"


	6. Important Note & Chapter 5 Voices Risi...

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IMPORTANT NOTE

As I can no longer edit my lemon, I'm posting this here in hopes that people will see it.

I'm sure by now all of you know that FFN will be enacting an NC-17 ban in October. If this does actually come about, I will pull _Out of Control _from the site. I am quite aware that many of you are eagerly looking forward to OoC's sequel _Executive Orders_, but my writing time is severely limited, and I do not believe it will be ready for posting before the ban comes into effect. I'm therefore asking all of you interested in the sequel to give me an email address where I can notify you when and where the fic is posted. Thank you all so very much for your continued interest in my work. I can't tell you how much it means to me.

Smarty Cat

smartycat9383@yahoo.com

9-14-02

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The moment some of you have been waiting for! Hopefully this will answer some of the questions the last chapter left you with. 

****

Disclaimer: Gundam Wing is not mine. Any characters you recognize are not mine. The characters you don't recognize are mine. If for some strange, unlikely reason you want to use them go right ahead, but I would at least like to know about it so I can read it.

****

Spoilers: Some references to Episode Zero and Blind Target in addition to all episodes and the OAV/movie.

****

Summary: A tale of life, love in all its forms, and the spirits that influence human destiny.

****

Pairings: Rx1, 2xH, 4x3, C+4, Cx5, 9x6, anything else I decide to throw in there

****

Thanks: **_miaka mouse_**, my wonderful beta and online big sis, and all of the awesome people of the **_Heero and Relena _**and **_Duo x Hilde _**mailing lists

**** ****

Numina

by

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Smarty Cat

smartycat9383@yahoo.com

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Chapter 5 -- _Voices Rising_

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Warning: some crude language, non-descriptive physical violence

Elenor turned her head, still braced on one hand, to face the burly, red-faced man standing in the cabin doorway. An alarmed look flitted across her features as he started to approach the trio on the deck. She licked her lips and turned her head faintly. "Try to make yourselves look different. Please," she murmured before setting off to intercept the man.

Heero watched the feminine figure go with narrowed eyes. There had been a slight tremble in her voice. That man made Relena nervous, an incredible feat in itself and one he had never been able to accomplish. Then there was the ring. Was Relena married to that Neanderthal?

Heero's thoughts were interrupted by Duo's outstretched hand appearing in his face. "Here ya go, buddy. Put these on," the braided man said with false cheerfulness.

The Japanese man glanced down at the two small round objects resting on the scarred palm. Brown contact lenses. He took them with an acknowledging grunt, and watched with grudging admiration as Duo swept his cap over his face as though to wipe it, reappearing with hazel eyes and no bangs. The tall incarnate of Death then stretched backwards luxuriously, unobtrusively slipping his braid down the back of his jacket.

Duo smiled back at Heero. "Ah, the things you learn being a pickpocket." His eyes trailed over Heero's face and hair critically. "Pity there isn't anything else we can do about you. Unless you tried actually looking pleasant, of course."

Elenor came back to the two men with the 'Neanderthal' trailing menacingly behind her. She gestured towards Heero and Duo. "See? Nothing is wrong. Just a reunion between long lost friends. Meet Daniel...and...and Harry."

Duo, utilizing an incredible amount of self-control and acting ability, managed to transform a snicker into a friendly chuckle. Heero twitched and glared simultaneously at Elenor for the name, Duo for the laugh, and the strange large, hairy man for existing.

"They're not very impressive. A weak looking pretty boy and a scrawny little Chink."

Both pilots twitched, and Elenor's jaw dropped as she looked back and forth. Duo took a step forward, snarling an indignant "Weak? Pretty boy?!" under his breath, but Heero's right hand clamped around his wrist like a vice. His left hand buried itself in the back folds of Duo's leather jacket, effectively restraining his much larger partner.

"You could do much better. Like me. Lena, baby, you know I'd rock your world. And just look at em, they way they're holding each other! I don't think they're interested in having a woman."

Duo abruptly stopped struggling, and Heero released his grip, allowing him to collapse to the deck, wheezing and choking. Elenor took a concerned step towards him, but he waved her away. Duo looked up, hazel eyes huge, furious, and watery in his red face, and managed to wheeze, "Asthma."

Elenor frowned, her brow wrinkling cutely. A Gundam pilot had to be a near perfect physical specimen to withstand the intense G forces involved in piloting. There was no way Duo could have asthma. As if to prove her thinking correct, Heero looked down at the crumpled heap that was his partner and stated calmly, "Liar."

The Neanderthal stepped forward and wrapped one arm around Elenor's waist, dragging her body up against his. "See, baby, you don't want them. Now why don't you send these little boys on their merry little way and come back to bed with me."

The blonde woman twisted in his arms. Her face was only inches away from his when she recoiled with a grimace. She shoved him away with a snarl. "Ricky, you've been drinking! How did you find alcohol on a ship in the middle of the ocean?" Horrified realization dawned on her face. "The food money! That's why there's been so little food! You bastard! You spent the food money on alcohol! You'd just let the children go hungry?"

The drunk Neanderthal, now known as Ricky, roared back at her, "If you weren't such a tight thighed little bitch, I wouldn't have to drink!" One meaty finger jabbed at the two pilots now flanking Elenor. "You've fucked them, ain't you?"

"WHAT?" Elenor and Duo yelled together. Heero scowled darkly.

"Oh please. 'Long lost friends'? I know those two bastard brats of yours don't belong to that idiotic pansy faggot you left back on the colony. So, forget to tell the daddies you were pregnant? Afraid your performance would suffer and you wouldn't get paid?"

Elenor faced him squarely, quivering with fury. "Is this your way of convincing me to sleep with you?"

Ricky bared his teeth in a brutally drunken leer. "Nah, I think it'd be a much more interesting experience to go visit your sweet little cherry blossom. Popping her fruit will be fun."

All the color drained from Elenor's face before rushing back into her cheeks furiously. There was no warning. One second she was standing in front of Ricky. The next, her strong right hook was embedded in his face. The two pilots watched in shock as she swept his legs out from under him at the same moment a silver streak flashed through the air where his head had been. She finished her assault by savagely slamming her foot into his ribs.

Heero glanced at the raggedly breathing blonde woman cradling her right hand as he kneeled down to check Ricky's vitals. Still breathing. Pulse strong. Pity. Idly contemplating the body, he decided that Ricky's thick skull connecting with the deck and not any of Rel--Elenor's blows was the reason for his current lack of consciousness. His sharp eyes then caught the familiar glint of a discharged bullet trapped in the deck.

Duo narrowed his eyes critically as he studied Elenor. "Ojousan, correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't you a pacifist?"

She laughed shakily while still nursing her injured hand and said flippantly, "Oh, I gave that up years ago. The Eve War to be precise. Besides, motherhood does wonders for the protective instinct." Her head lifted, fiercely determined ice blue eyes glittering coldly. Her voice became softer, more dangerous. "He threatened my child. No one does that and gets away with it."

"Relena," Heero called. When Duo and Elenor turned to face him, he held up the bullet he had pried from the deck and lifted an eyebrow expectantly.

Elenor sighed. "Please don't call me that. No one goes by their real name on this ship."

"So that's what 'Daniel' and 'Harry' were for. Honestly, Ojousan, Harry? But this jerk called you 'Lena.'"

She grimaced. "It was his 'pet' version of Elenor and most of the children call me that."

"Elenor, the bullet," Heero's calm voice urged them back on topic.

Elenor brushed some silvery strands away from her face and turned to the bright-eyed shadows lurking in the cabin door. Her voice rang out firmly in the still night air. "Finn, come here."

One of the shadows detached itself from the darkness. A young boy, the same one Duo had seen running across the deck earlier, walked to Elenor obediently. Solemn brown eyes glared at Heero and Duo with little masked hostility.

Elenor knelt to the little boy's eye level and gently tapped his forehead. "Give me the gun."

Finn met her gaze squarely in a silent challenge before pulling a small handgun from the waist of his denim shorts. He opened the chamber and removed the remaining bullets. Then the boy raised both full little hands, presenting the weapon to Elenor.

Elenor removed the items from his hands, easily passing them off to Heero. She sighed exasperatedly. "Finn, what did I tell you about trying to kill Ricky?"

The boy scuffed his foot on the deck before replying, "Dying is too good for petorfeels."

The blonde woman flushed quite red and stared determinedly at the ground. "Er...well, yes...I did say something like that. And you disobeyed me. That was bad, Finn. Where did you get the gun?"

The boy's eyes found the same spot on the deck that Elenor had been focusing on, and it was indeed fascinating. He mumbled an answer.

"What was that?"

"Keiichi."

Elenor stood up abruptly, her face tightening. "Violence as a protective measure and last resort be damned! I am going to KILL him!"

Finn put one hand on her arm. "Mama, don't be mad. I told him I wanted to protect you and Nica-chan. And you always said you liked people too much."

Pale blue eyes filled with tears, and she hugged him suddenly. "All right, I'm not mad. Just go check on the others for me, okay?"

Heero impassively watched the child scamper away. "He's a good shot. That man would be dead if you hadn't knocked him out of the way. How old is he?"

Elenor wiped a few tears from her face and whispered, "Six."

Duo did a quick mathematical equation in his head, and the years just didn't add up. "He's too old to be your kid!"

The blonde woman shook her head. "Ricky doesn't know that. And I'm his mother in every way that matters. I do have a biological daughter though. Sakura. Thus the reference to cherries."

The braided man followed her hateful glare. "Is he really a pedophile?"

"I'm not sure. He's made a lot of innuendos, and I'm not willing to give him a chance to find out."

Duo nodded in understanding agreement. "Wow. So you have a son and a daughter? And their names are Finn and Sakura? Kinda an odd pair."

"Of course not. I told you no one goes by their real name here. Except Keiichi, and he's only here in spirit. I can't believe he gave Finn a gun!"

Heero watched the curtain of silken platinum on her back sway as she paced back and forth and savagely attempted to repress his emotions. It was not working. There was a strange hollow ache in his chest. Relena wore a ring and had a child. She had lived with a man who cared enough about her to arm a child to ensure her protection. She was completely different from the girl he had met five years ago, yet she was still herself. And she was stopping in front of him

"You're being very quiet. Is something wrong?"

His mind desperately searched for something to say. "Is her name Nica?"

Elenor was startled. That was certainly not a question she was expecting and to have it come from Heero was all the more distressing, but she knew he expected an answer.

"Maybe." Then in a desperate bid to change the subject, "Why are the Preventers here? You couldn't have been coming after me."

Heero relaxed slightly. Here was a topic of discussion he could deal with. "Intelligence reported that this vessel is transporting a new type of weapon. We were sent to acquire or destroy it."

Elenor's eyes became absolutely huge in her pale face, and her voice was strained. "A new weapon?"

She sounded almost guilty. Heero narrowed his eyes suspiciously, but he nodded in response. Elenor gestured around them. "All I have is the laser rifle, a few handguns, and some cooking knives."

"What about him?" Duo asked, pointing at Ricky's inert body.

Elenor shook her head. "He's clean. Keiichi and I made sure he didn't bring anything dangerous on board."

Duo cocked his head to one side. "Except himself you mean. Kinda suspicious that your ship was targeted don't ya think? Hey, Heero, where'd our info come from anyway?"

"I don't know, but I will find out."

Elenor smiled to herself. His voice was low and determined. So protective. Maybe there was hope for him, but there were other things that were more important at the moment. "Blow the ship up."

"What?!"

"You should complete your mission. Destroy the ship. It's not mine anyway. Just don't tell anyone you don't trust that I'm back."

"But the kids!" Duo sputtered. "We can't carry them all on the shuttle!"

"There is a speedboat that functions as a lifeboat," Elenor replied calmly. She gestured gracefully to the right. "You may check it for any weapons yourselves. I'll go collect the children."

Heero watched the last shimmer of her platinum hair fade into the blackness of the cabin before whirling and striding off to the boat. Duo grinned cheekily. Heero's attitude towards Relena really was cute. The grin slowly turned into something more sinister as he pulled some nylon cords from his jacket pocket. There were some loose ends lying around that needed tied up.

The braided man had just finished his self-appointed task when Elenor emerged from the cabin carrying a pair of sandals and being trailed by Finn. She raised one elegant brow and smiled wryly at Duo as he innocently stepped away from a hogtied Ricky. Heero reappeared beside Duo, a violent, almost predatory gleam in his eyes as he glanced at the bound form near his feet. His gaze became flat and impassive as marble when it shifted to take in Elenor and the child at her side.

"Are you ready to go?"

"Yes. Could you put him in the boat? You don't have to be gentle but try not to break anything."

Heero grunted in reply and slung Ricky's impressive bulk casually over one shoulder. He glided away with the grace of a panther, oblivious to Elenor's admiring stare. Duo's mutter of "That's just not natural!" snapped Elenor out of her hormone induced haze. She blushed and quickly turned away to summon the children.

Duo's mouth dropped open at the horde of small bodies that surged out into the moonlight from both the cabin and the cargo area. They were all ages, sizes, and colors, the larger ones carrying the smaller. "Where did you get all of them?"

Sorrow flickered briefly across Elenor's face. "They're war orphans from the colonies. I'm taking them to the school in Newport City. The Sisters of Sank have agreed to provide homes for them."

Duo froze at her quiet words and stared at Elenor contemplatively. A tiny frown creased his forehead, but he shrugged and moved forward to help load the children into the boat.

Heero did not look up from examining the navigation system. "Duo, you stay here. I'll pilot the shuttle back to Headquarters and rendezvous with you two later."

Elenor bit her lip nervously. "Heero, I don't want anyone but Une to know I'm back. I don't plan to stay."

The Japanese man pinned her with an inscrutable stare. "You may not have a choice," he stated flatly and was gone.

Duo turned away from the sad-eyed blonde woman and started the boat. He heard her footsteps move away, and the low, soothing hum of her murmurs to the children drifted back to his ears before the sound of the starting shuttle drowned out all other noises. As the shuttle rose into the night sky, Duo gunned the boat's engine and sent it rocketing forward. Although he knew Heero would not fire too soon, the braided man wanted to put as much distance between the kids and the blast as possible. He glanced back just in time to see the ship go up in a blazing ball of fire. Moments later the roar from the explosion washed over his ears.

Elenor stood determinedly among the group of tightly huddled children, her bare feet braced firmly against the boat's motion, sandals still dangling from one hand. She glanced at the small expressionless faces around her. They were the faces of children who had seen war and violence for as long as they could remember. One explosion could not scare them.

The blonde woman swallowed the tears suddenly clogging her throat and gently picked her way over to the braided man guiding the boat. She slipped her sandals onto her feet and stood for a moment fiddling nervously with her ring.

"I can do that for you."

Duo looked back curiously. Elenor shifted her weight slightly then raised her head to meet his eyes. "Heero already plotted our course. We just have to make sure that we don't drift from it. I can do that. I was doing it before."

He shrugged and stepped aside with a flourishing gesture. "It's all yours, Ojousan. I don't care who steers as long as we get there."

She nodded with a neutral expression and stepped up to the wheel. Duo went to examine Ricky and smirked when he saw that Heero had tied the unconscious man firmly to the boat. Although they kept his body from sliding all over the place, those extra ropes sure weren't for Ricky's benefit.

A small movement in the corner of his eye drew Duo's attention to the boy he knew as Finn. Duo froze as his mind registered large, cold violet eyes staring back at him. It had to be a trick of the light. The kid had had brown eyes before, hadn't he?

Finn dropped cross-legged to the deck with a careless grace that was not normal for a child his age. He flicked his unruly mop of sandy hair out of his eyes, and Duo's stare zeroed in on the boy's hand. Calluses covered his palm and the pads of his fingers, and small pale scars crisscrossed the tanned skin on both sides. He had not noticed it before, but Finn's hands looked disturbingly like miniatures of Duo's own. The boy raised one eyebrow at Duo's scrutiny, his stare calmly challenging.

Duo gulped and turned away from that cold stare. There was something extremely alarming about the boy. Inwardly cursing his cowardice--the God of Death afraid to look at a kid?--the braided man moved away to study the other orphans. That boy was more than capable of handling Ricky by himself.

Many children were dozing, huddled in groups like a litter of puppies. The older ones regarded him with wary curiosity, often protectively shifting the babies and toddlers away from his path. Duo could not suppress the sad smile that tugged at his lips. He could not disapprove of their behavior when he had been just like them. There were so many memories. If only he had more time, perhaps he could earn their trust.

Firmly pushing away his wistfulness, Duo turned his attention to examining the smallest of the children. One of those little faces belonged to Relena's daughter, and he was extremely curious as to which one it was.

"You won't find her."

Elenor's matter of fact statement drew his attention back to her. He pursed his lips when she did not even glance in his direction and made his way back to her side.

"What makes you think I was looking for your daughter?"

Elenor smiled at him faintly. "I have it from several very reliable sources that you are extremely curious."

The braided man snorted and lounged casually against the navigation equipment. "Oh really?"

She hummed in acknowledgment and glanced up at him, wryly noting that he still towered over her. "Sakura doesn't look like me. She looks like her father." Elenor's face softened into a loving smile. "She's beautiful."

Duo shifted uncomfortably. He studied her gentle expression and wondered exactly what kind of man could make her leave Heero Yuy behind. The silence of the night settled around them, and Duo moved again, his uneasy gaze skipping past Finn's silent guard on to the sleeping group. A stray thought suddenly struck him, and he exclaimed, "They don't have anything!"

"Huh?" Elenor asked, turning her eyes away from their plotted course to look quizzically at him.

"They don't have any comfort things. Like a blanket or a teddy bear," Duo clarified.

A peculiar expression appeared on Elenor's face at the word "teddy bear," but it was gone almost immediately. Duo still noticed it though and decided to push farther. "You didn't make them leave em back on the ship, did you? Depriving a child of his comfort toys, especially if they were passed down from his parents, is just cruel!"

He was rewarded for his prodding with an icy glare. Elenor scowled and retorted, "Of course not! Most of them don't have any personal belongings. The ones that do...well, their stuff was sent ahead to the orphanage."

Duo stiffened. "Were you expecting something like this to happen?"

Elenor shook her head, her waterfall of platinum hair swaying gently. "I never know what to expect, but I do try to prepare for anything. It's also easier to transport the children and their belongings separately."

The remainder of the trip was spent in silence. After several hours, Duo took Elenor's place at the wheel. She moved briefly among the group of children, murmuring assurances and endearments and stroking the babies' heads, before settling near Finn and the still unconscious Ricky. Duo had the sneaking suspicion that the boy had been doing more than just checking for a pulse the few times his small fingers had touched that large neck.

The eastern sky was brightening with the first hint of the sun's rays when Duo spotted a dark strip on the horizon. He increased the boat's speed and called back to Elenor, "Oi, Ojousan! We're almost there! Time to wake up!"

The low rumble of groggy children filled the air behind Duo when Elenor joined him at the wheel. She leaned forward, squinting into the distance, then touched Duo's arm lightly. He turned to her questioningly, and she pointed to the right. "I think that's our port."

Duo followed the line her finger made and saw a large van parked on one of the piers with two figures standing nearby. Morning sunlight highlighted dark chocolate strands and blazed off of two honeyed braids. Elenor grumbled softly. Heero had brought Sally with him.

Before Duo even brought the boat to a complete halt, Sally was in it, examining any of the orphans who would let her come close to them. Duo and Elenor stood bemused as they watched the former field doctor gently bully the ornery children into submission. Elenor shook her head slightly and stepped forward, encouraging her wary charges to follow the strange woman into the back of the van.

Heero stepped around a silently glaring Finn and hefted Ricky onto his shoulder again. The Japanese man hopped easily onto the pier and strode purposefully to where the van was parked. Elenor and Finn trailed close behind, with Duo bringing up the rear. Heero glanced back over his shoulder at Elenor. She raised her chin in answer to his unspoken question and stated quite clearly, "Leave him here."

Heero blinked but did as she requested. A firm stare cut short Duo's protests. Elenor bit her lip pensively then asked to see the braided man's knife. Duo hesitantly gave the blade to her, and his mouth fell open in shock when she used it to cut the ropes binding Ricky. She silently returned the knife, and just sat there for a moment, gently turning the golden band on her left ring finger. Then the blonde woman closed her eyes and nodded decisively.

Elenor rose from her crouched position and stared down at the man who had made her life absolutely miserable for a short time. It was not in her to hate, but she hated him. She stiffened when Finn pressed a handful of paper into her palm and smiled bitterly when she raised the fistful of money over the unconscious body. Slender fingers loosened their grip, and a shower of brightly colored paper fluttered down to rest on Ricky's head, chest, and stomach as she whispered, "You can't say I didn't pay you for your services."

The blonde woman bent down, gathering the boy at her side in her arms. He wrapped his arms around her neck and laid his head trustingly on her shoulder as she pivoted and walked towards the van waiting for them, never once looking back. Her voice drifted melodiously through the air, but there was steel beneath her words. "Remember, Ricky, I'm the only one allowed to insult Keiichi. And no one hurts our children."

Heero spun away abruptly and jumped into the van. He slammed the keys into the ignition with more force than was necessary, and Sally looked at his tense face sympathetically when she slid in beside him. Duo helped Elenor and Finn in then climbed in behind them and shut the door. Before he was buckled in properly, Heero slammed the van into reverse and backed off the pier before they careened wildly through the Newport Docks.

When they entered the city proper, Heero slowed the van's reckless speed and glanced at the other passengers. His eyes softened almost helplessly at the sight of Elenor gently rubbing Finn's back. No one saw the gentle, longingly confused expression on his face as she nuzzled the boy's head and murmured, "Everything's fine now. It's okay for you to go to sleep. These people will take care of us."

The boy finally lost his battle with sleep and snuggled dreamily against Elenor, breathing out a soft "Mama." She kissed his hair and smiled almost sadly at the other occupants. Her gaze turned ahead, and she closed her eyes, swallowing shakily.

The Sank royal palace rose above the storybook cottages and shops that made up Newport City. The stone gleamed brightly in the morning sun. Elenor stared at it expressionlessly. It was a beautiful, glowing prison. The blonde woman squared her shoulders, and her eyes hardened with determination. She would meet this just as she had met all other challenges, and it was time to stop hiding.

"You may call me Relena now."


End file.
